


nerds in love

by spellingbee



Series: Alien AU [2]
Category: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys - My Chemical Romance (Album), The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (Comic)
Genre: (and the alien equivalent thereof), Alien Culture, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blanket Permission, Culture Shock, Developing Relationship, First Dates, Idiots in Love, Kissing, M/M, POV Alternating, POV Third Person Limited, Podfic Welcome, Relationship Discussions, kirbace killjoys, kobra's an alien
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-03 23:35:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21187850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spellingbee/pseuds/spellingbee
Summary: Marco's only been on Earth for a couple of weeks, and everything's so new and exciting!His relationship with Dante, however, is more than a little confusing.





	nerds in love

**Author's Note:**

> Week 43! Happy Halloween! 🎃
> 
> Big thank you as always to my zucchini ace (funkobraofficial on tumblr) and my friend pink (pinkstationhero on tumblr) for beta reading this! ace helped me a ton with the ideas for this, and pink did an awesome job modifying marco's speech to suit the situation. ✨
> 
> this fic directly follows part 1 of the series, so if you haven't read it yet (or just need to refresh your memory of it), i'd highly recommend reading nerds in space first! thank you, and please enjoy!! 😘

Sharing your apartment with a guy you just met a couple weeks ago and talked to for like an hour is probably not the best idea, in normal circumstances.

Luckily for Dante, the circumstances are  _ anything  _ but normal. 

"Okay," Marco says, squinting at the twenty-dollar bill Dante's just handed him, "so I just hand this person the currency, and they will give me the food in exchange?" 

“Yeah,” Dante says, nodding emphatically. “Ya don’t have to say anythin’ except ‘thank you’ or whatever, and then you take the pizza and you close the door. It’s super easy, you’ll see.”

“Hm.” Marco holds the bill up to the light and looks at it closer. “I still do not understand human economics. What is your currency even  _ based _ on?”

“Gold,” says Dante. “Supposedly.”

The doorbell rings then, and Marco jumps a little, looking questioningly at Dante. Dante nods and makes a little  _ shoo _ ing motion with one hand.

Marco takes a deep breath and nods, crossing the room over to the apartment door. Dante watches as he opens the door and stands there stiffly.

“Uh, medium Hawaiian?” he hears the pizza delivery girl say.

He sees Marco extend his arm and presumably hand the twenty over. “Thank you or whatever,” Marco (not so) politely says, and Dante slaps himself in the face. 

“Uh,” says the girl. “Sure?” 

The door closes, and Marco comes back over, triumphantly carrying the pizza box in his hands. “Mission complete,” he says. 

“Uh-huh, well, almost,” Dante says, taking the pizza from him. “You’re not s’posed to say the ‘or whatever’ part.”

Marco frowns. “You are not? Then why did you tell me to?” 

“I didn’t! I said to say ‘thank you’ or  _ whatever fit best.” _

His frown deepens. “Thank you or whatever fit best? I do not understand.”

Dante sighs. The language barrier and translation errors have definitely been the hardest part of this relationship so far, but they’re honestly not doing that badly. Little slip-ups like this are no problem really! “Look, next time we order pizza, I’ll do it so you can see again, okay?”

“That would probably be for the best,” Marco agrees, sounding a little put out. “I wish this sort of thing was easier for me to understand. I feel as though I am a burden to you like this.”

“You’re not a burden,” Dante says quickly, biting his lip. He reaches over and puts his hand on Marco’s upper arm and squeezes a little. “It’s just, y’know, different from what you’re used to. You’ll get it. I’ll help ya figure it out.” 

Marco smiles at him, just a little uptick at the corner of his mouth. Every time he does that, Dante feels his heart swoop in his chest. Damn, he likes this guy.

“Thank you,” Marco says. He leans down and presses his forehead against Dante’s, a quick, light pressure, and then he’s straightening up again and setting the pizza box down on the kitchen counter.

“Shall we eat, then? I have not had the Hawaiian pizza, have I?”

“Nah,” Dante says, moving over to pop the box open. “This one’s got  _ fruit _ on it. It’s a lot different.”

Marco tilts his head and purses his lips. “Don’t all pizzas have fruit on them?”

“What?” Dante blinks at him, sliding a slice of pizza onto a plate. “Uh,  _ no? _ You’ve had, like, supreme and meat lover’s pizza. And four cheese. This is the only one that’s got fruit on it.” He passes the pizza over to Marco.

Marco gets a faraway look in his eyes, and Dante knows he’s checking the translator that’s implanted in his skull. “No,” he says, blinking to refocus on Dante. “All pizzas have fruit on them. The tomato sauce. That is a key component to the pizza, no?” He picks up his slice and points at the red sauce showing at the edge.

Dante rolls his eyes. “I mean,  _ technically, _ ” he says. “But most people don’t consider a tomato a fruit. It’s just, like... a  _ tomato.” _

Marco blinks again, and shakes his head. “It is a  _ fruit,” _ he insists, taking out about half the slice in one bite. He chews once, twice, three times, and then swallows. “A berry. Pizza is made with  _ fruit sauce.  _ A  _ coulis _ , if you will. This pizza is strange. Sort of…” He rolls his wrist, flicks his fingers up toward the ceiling. “Sort of  _ tart. _ And  _ sweet.” _

“Look, the tomato thing’s not worth thinkin’ about, because I don’t wanna think about it,” Dante tells him, waving his own slice of pizza through the air. A pineapple chunk falls off and hits the floor with a quiet  _ splat. _ “That’s because of the pineapple. D’you like it? Or is it too weird for you?” He takes a bite of his pizza and chews, leaning down to pick up the fallen pineapple. He puts it back on his pizza slice.

“I am not sure.” Marco takes another bite, chewing slower this time and looking thoughtful. “It is  _ very _ unlike the other pizzas we have eaten,” he says. “I really liked The Supreme. I think this one is not quite to my taste.”

“Try pickin’ the pineapple off and just eatin’ the rest,” Dante tells him, taking another bite of his own. “Might be tastier that way,” he says around his mouthful.

Marco does so, peeling the pineapple chunks off and setting them on the side of his plate. He takes another bite. Then he nods, seeming pleased. “Yes,” he says. “Yes, I think this is much better. Some of the sweet and tart flavor is still there, but not nearly as powerful. It is actually  _ quite nice _ , like this.”

Dante beams at him, then scoots closer and swipes the pineapple chunks off Marco’s plate, tossing them onto the final half of his pizza and cramming as much of it into his mouth at once.

Marco shoots him a look, one eyebrow arched slightly, and Dante grins at him around his mouthful of pizza. Marco snorts quietly, then stands up to get another slice.

“Yes,” he says quietly, “I think this one might be my favorite so far.”

A warm feeling spreads through Dante’s chest. 

\-----

It’s getting colder out, and Dante has to bundle up every time he goes outside. Marco doesn’t seem to be as affected by the temperature, preferring to go outside in simply a T-shirt and jeans, but Dante always makes him at  _ least _ take a hoodie with him. Just in case.

It’s nice to walk around with your hand in someone else’s, Dante’s found. It’s fun, wandering around with no singular destination in mind.

And Marco’s fascinated by everything he sees, unused to anything on Earth.

“Each one posesses different colors and patterns,” he murmurs to himself, staring wide-eyed at a flock of pigeons pecking at the ground nearby. “If not for the size and shape, I would think they were each a completely different species.”

“Yeah, they’re pretty cool,” Dante says. “I think there’s so many different kinds ‘cause they’re domesticated. Same with cats an’ dogs, ya know?”

Marco hums absently, mutters something to himself so quietly Dante can’t even attempt to make it out. He’s getting used to that, though; it’s just Marco making notes for himself so he can write his reports later.

“Do you have, like, pets an’ shit on your home pl--er, where you’re from?”

Marco flicks his fingers, turning back toward Dante. “Sort of,” he says. “Nothing like your birds, though. We have…” he pauses for a moment, eyes going unfocused for just a split second before he’s blinking again. “I suppose they are sort of like your snakes, but they live in the water. They swim faster than we do and make excellent hunters, but some people keep them as companions instead of workers.”

“Like eels? That’s so fuckin’ cool! Did you only have fish and stuff on your--where you’re from?” Dante can’t help but get excited every time Marco drops more information about his home planet. He guesses that if he were the alien on Marco’s planet, he’d be just as fascinated by everything he saw as Marco is.

“Eels... well, sort of like eels. But more like snakes.” Marco nods decisively. “Scaly. And we do not exactly have fish. The animals do not quite fit into your categories. We mostly have a lot of reptile-like animals, and some amphibians.”

“No fish? But you said your planet’s got a lot of water, right?”

“Yes, but the animals are more like reptiles than like fish. It’s hard to describe them with such a limited vocabulary.” Marco frowns to himself and touches the spot behind his ear, where Dante knows his translator is implanted. 

“Huh.” Dante’s not sure what else to say. He’d never really considered that the  _ kinds _ of animals might vary from planet to planet, too. “So, what about mammals? Or, I guess, mammal-like animals?” 

“We do not have any,” Marco says with another finger-flick. “I think it is too cold for them.”

Dante pauses, confused. He lets his gaze slide over Marco. Marco, who clearly looks as human as anyone else, and therefore looks like  _ a mammal. _ “Uh?” he asks, looking up to meet Marco’s eyes again. “Okay, one, how the hell could it be  _ too cold _ for  _ mammals _ but warm enough for  _ reptiles, _ and two, if you’re not a mammal then what the hell  _ are  _ you?”

Marco sighs, shifting from one foot to the other for a moment before going still again. “Mammal- _ like. _ Reptile- _ like. _ And I am  _ definitely _ not a mammal. Why would you think that?” He sounds almost offended.

“Uh, because you look and--” Dante grabs Marco’s hand again, interlacing their fingers together, “-- _ feel _ like any other human?”

“Oh.” Marco flicks his fingers again, looking away from Dante’s gaze. “Well. I am not like a human.”

And,  _ okay, _ what the hell does  _ that _ mean? “What do you  _ mean _ you’re not like a human?” Dante tightens his grip on Marco’s hand, willing him to look at him again. He doesn’t.

“Never mind,” he says. “Let us--let’s keep walking. I want to see what that sign says.” 

“Fine,” Dante murmurs, letting the subject drop for now. He has no idea what Marco means.  _ Not like a human. _ Does he just mean that he’s an alien? Because yeah, that’s pretty obvious, considering Dante met him on a  _ spaceship. _

And honestly, Marco just... looks like your average white guy. Bleach-blond hair swept back from his face, a killer jawline and cheekbones, hazel eyes that look greener in the sun and browner in the shade. He’s tall, but not exactly  _ inhumanly _ tall. Two arms, two legs, a head set squarely on his shoulders. Normal. Hot, yeah, but  _ normal. _

Dante squeezes his hand again. Marco’s hand is warm in his, and if Dante moves his thumb along the side of Marco’s palm, he can feel the lines in his skin, the little divots and furrows that all humans have. He can feel the little nearly-invisible hairs on the back of Marco’s hand, on his arm. 

He looks human, he  _ feels _ human, but he’s an alien. Dante knows this. Dante, if he’s honest,  _ loves _ this. So why the hell is Marco avoiding the subject?

Marco pauses beside him, and Dante stops, too, looking up to follow Marco’s gaze. 

“Excuse me,” Marco says, tugging his hand out of Dante’s and darting forward. Dante blinks, not quite sure what he’s doing.

“Excuse me,” Marco says again, louder, and he crouches down briefly to scoop something up off the ground. “Sir, you dropped this!”

A man who’d been walking ahead of them turns slightly to see Marco hurrying toward him, and then stops, his face turning red. 

“Oh, uh.” He clears his throat, and holds his hand out. Marco presses a paper cup into his hand. “Thank you.” He then turns and hurries away, quickly disappearing around a corner.

It takes Dante a second to process what just happened, but then he laughs, moving forward to take Marco’s hand again. “Good one, Marco. That guy’s definitely gonna think twice the next time he goes to litter.”

Marco blinks at him. “What?” he asks. He pauses, and a moment later, his eyes widen in understanding. “Oh,” he says. “You mean he threw it down on purpose?” He wrinkles his nose, turning to look the way the man had gone. “I just thought he had just dropped it.”

Dante laughs a little, moving his hand up to grip Marco’s elbow. “It’s okay,” he says. “You are  _ more _ than welcome to hand garbage back to the assholes who drop it.”

Marco looks back at him, his expression softening a little. “So that wasn’t a breach of conduct?” he asks.

“Nah.” Dante shrugs. “It’s rude to litter. You’re allowed to be rude or passive aggressive to people who litter.”

“I see.” Marco nods once, looking serious now. “When else is it acceptable to defy normal societal bounds of politeness?”

Dante hums, thinking for a moment as they start to walk again. “Well,” he says, “if you see someone, like, harassin’ someone else. You can go yell at the asshole. Or punch ‘em, whatever works. Basically anytime someone’s bein’ an asshole to someone else, ya gotta shove any politeness away an’ just jump ‘em, ya know?”

Marco hums back, seemingly deep in thought. “So it is a matter of respect and decency.” He nods again. “I think I understand.” 

He looks down at Dante again, his eyes soft around the edges and the corner of his mouth turned up slightly. “Thank you for helping me learn,” he says, and leans down to press his forehead against Dante’s.

He’s been doing that a lot, since he came to earth. It’s sort of weird, but not really a big deal. Dante’d like it better if Marco would  _ kiss _ him instead of Dante having to initiate all the lip-contact, but hey. He’s not actually complaining.

The rest of their walk is much less eventful, but no less enjoyable.

\-----

“Dante!” Lola squeals into the phone, and Dante holds the phone away from his ear for just long enough (a skill born from years of practice having Lola as a best friend). “How  _ are _ you, it’s been  _ forever _ since we talked!”

“It’s been, like, three days,” Dante says with a smirk, knowing exactly how Lola will respond to that.

“Three days is  _ way _ too long, Dante. Ugh, and I haven’t  _ seen _ you in, like, a  _ week! _ This is  _ torture!” _

He lets himself laugh at that, but he knows what she means. “Sorry,” he says. “Maybe we can hang out this weekend? I actually got a couple days off, an’ I’m mostly done with my podcast, so I got the time!”

“Good to know I rank as less important than a show about space aliens,” she says with a snort, and then pauses. “Speaking of,” she says in a sly tone, “how’s the boyfriend?”

“He’s doin’ pretty good,” Dante tells her, leaning forward and adjusting how he’s holding the phone to his ear. “Learnin’ more, gettin’ used to Earth. Think I might take him to the movies on my next day off. Take ‘im on an  _ actual _ date, ya know?”

Lola makes a cooing noise in his ear. “That sounds so sweet!” she says. “Kai and I went to see this  _ really _ cute romcom the other day. I know it’s not really  _ your _ thing, but maybe Marco’d like it...? When are you gonna bring him by the shop and let me meet him, anyway?”

“Soon,” he promises. “I just dunno how he’ll react to, y’know, a metaphysical shop. Or bein’ out in public yet.”

“You literally take him for walks down the street every day.”

“Well yeah, but that’s a little different from standin’ around in a shop and makin’ conversation, y’know?”

“But we hardly ever have more than one or two customers at a time, it shouldn’t be too scary or, like, overwhelming or whatever! And it’s not like I don’t already  _ know _ he’s an alien.”

Dante bites his lip. Lola’s practically _begging_ him to introduce them--has been since Marco arrived on Earth--but Dante just... doesn’t know. “Well,” he says, “I’ll ask him. See what he thinks. Yeah?”  
_“Perfect,”_ Lola coos. “Seriously, Dante, I can’t _wait_ to meet him. I know he’s gotta be a great guy to catch your attention like this.”

“Yeah,” Dante says, feeling his lips stretch into a smile. “Yeah, he really is.”

\-----

“What is the purpose?” Marco asks, balancing the giant bucket of popcorn on his knees as they settle into their seats. “If you have a television in your home, and access to streaming services which collect many titles in one place, then why go through the trouble of going to a special building just to watch a movie?”

“For fun,” Dante tells him, setting Marco’s cup of soda in the cupholder between them and taking a sip out of his own. “It’s just for the experience. And the better quality...everything.” He sets his cup down and pats Marco’s arm. “You’ll see what I mean when the movie starts.”

Marco hums a little, looking down at his ticket stub. “I suppose I will. If nothing else, this will be a good opportunity for research.”

Dante elbows him in the ribs just as the lights go down. “Damn. Research still ranks higher than goin’ on a date with me, huh?”

Marco blinks, pausing. “Uh,” he says. “I suppose so?”

Dante laughs, nudging him in the ribs again. He gets it, honestly; he’s had plenty of opportunities to hang out with friends or whatever, only to choose research for his podcast--or even research just for fun!--over that. Still, he can’t help but feel a little twinge in his gut.

“These short films are fascinating,” Marco says after the third movie preview. “There are so many different ways humans explore storytelling. These are... less effective, I think, but still fascinating.”

Dante laughs again, reaching over to grab a handful of popcorn. “They’re not short films,” he says. “They’re movie trailers. Previews for movies that’re comin’ out, like, next year. That kinda thing.”

“Oh.” Marco frowns. “I suppose that  _ does _ make more sense.”

“Yeah,” Dante says. “It’s okay, though, I guess they’d seem pretty weird to someone who’s never seen ‘em before.”

Marco makes a noise of agreement, eating some of the popcorn himself. “ _ Oh _ ,” he says, sounding surprised. “This is  _ good _ .”

“Yeah,” Dante says. “Makes ya thirsty, though.” He shakes his own drink at Marco. “Anyway, movie’s about to start. You’re not s’posed to talk much durin’ movies, so just keep your questions to yourself ‘til it’s over, okay?”

“Okay.” Marco nods decisively, picking up his cup to take a sip just as the movie begins.

\-----

Marco doesn’t understand much about Earth.

He’d thought of himself as, well... not quite an  _ expert, _ but certainly someone who knew more than the layman would. And then when he arrived, everything he thought he knew was almost turned on its head. 

Well, since he met  _ Dante, _ actually.

If he’s truthful with himself--and Marco tries very hard to be truthful with himself--then he has to say that he is... perhaps not in _ love  _ with Dante, but very much interested in having the  _ chance _ to be in love with Dante.

The past two weeks have been full of learning experiences for Marco (learning about human technology, which, while certainly not as advanced as that of Marco’s people, is certainly impressive; about the animals who live on this planet; about the foods they eat and how they cook them; all sorts of things you don’t really see in textbooks). Dante’s an excellent host, and a good friend, always making sure Marco has everything he needs before going off to work, explaining anything Marco doesn’t understand, holding onto him so he doesn’t get lost when they go out, sitting close beside him so he doesn’t feel lonely when they stay in. Marco appreciates this all, really. Would happily keep doing this for... the rest of his life, honestly.

But what would  _ really _ make him happy would be the ability to  _ court _ Dante.

Marco doesn’t think he’s been too subtle about that wish. Lots of steady eye contact, along with the forehead-presses. But so far, Dante hasn’t reciprocated. 

It’s disheartening, but at least Dante hasn’t outright  _ rejected _ him. There’s still hope.

Now, sitting together in the dark movie theater, Marco feels comfortable. He’s not used to all the humans, still finds it jarring to see so many in one place, as used as he is to dealing with just one at a time, or seeing pictures and videos of them in class. The darkness keeps them all hidden from sight, although he knows there’s many others in the room with him, and the humans who appear on the huge screen in front of him are flat enough that he can easily pretend he’s just watching a presentation in class.

Of course, he wouldn’t want to pretend Dante isn’t there, and he’s the only one close enough for him to see. So it is, honestly, a very pleasant experience, sitting in the dark with only Dante beside him.

He turns to the screen to watch the movie play out. He’s seen enough human entertainment in the past couple of weeks to more or less understand how the story is going, and what certain things mean, but it’s still new to him. The way humans tell stories is quite similar to the way his own people tell stories, as well, he’s noticed.

And this movie is clearly meant to be a comedy of some sort, though he doesn’t quite understand most of the jokes. Human humor is something he’s still having difficulty grasping, and he thinks there’s plenty of humans who haven’t quite grasped it yet, either. He’s not sure; humor will require a great deal more studying before he can really draw any conclusions. Still, the physical comedy is quite similar to the physical comedy on his own planet, which is nice.

This movie is also, apparently, a love story. He hasn’t yet watched any love stories, but he can’t help but be intrigued by the idea. Maybe by watching this, he’ll learn something of human courting methods, and be able to court Dante in a way he’ll approve of.

Marco watches, fascinated, as the movie plays on. He has many questions, but he dutifully keeps them to himself to ask Dante about when it’s over.

He takes note of the way the actors on-screen talk to each other, how they hold themselves, and the body language they show. He knows that watching actors interact isn’t quite the same as watching actual  _ humans _ interact, but he figures it’s better than nothing.

And so, because he’s paying such close attention to it, he can’t help but notice the way the lead female actor keeps touching the hand of the man she’s attempting to court. The touches are subtle, but they are clearly important, each scene in which she does so carefully framed to draw attention to them without making the actors’ words less important.

He notices that his hand is the only one she touches that way, and Marco’s brain starts moving faster as something strikes him.

Dante touches his hand like that. And he does so often.

Gentle brushes in passing, wrapping his fingers around Marco’s, running his thumb along the side of his palm.

It must be a coincidence, somehow. Marco pushes those thoughts out of his mind and focuses on the screen again.

But then he starts noticing other things.

The way the woman leans toward the man. The way the man wraps his arms around her shoulders, the way they  _ embrace. _ The way they look at each other, so different from how they look at everyone else.

Those are all so similar to the way  _ Dante _ interacts with  _ him.  _ Is he adding connotations to actions that aren’t really there? They  _ are _ actors, he reminds himself, and not  _ really _ courting. So perhaps these things are simply exaggerated in the movie to make them seem more important than they are?

Marco glances at Dante out of the corner of his eye. Dante doesn’t seem too interested in the movie, sitting slouched in his seat and toying with the straw in his empty cup. It’s difficult to make out his expression in the light of the screen, since the scene playing out now is dark, but the little he can see indicates that Dante might even be  _ bored. _

The scene changes then, brightening the theater, and Dante turns to look at him just then, must have seen Marco watching him out of the corner of his eye. He arches an eyebrow at Marco, shifting to face him more fully. 

“You okay?” he asks quietly, reaching over to touch Marco’s hand.

“Um,” Marco says, unintentionally pulling his hand back. “Yes. Yes, I am fine.”

“M’kay.” Dante gives him a smile, and Marco’s insides heat up. “Sorry if it’s borin’, but the movie’s almost over, an’ then we can go home if you want. Or grab some dinner.”

And Marco can only nod mutely, quickly turning back to the screen. He’s definitely reading too much into the gestures. Right? Surely he is.

“Oh, looks like it’s closer to the end than I thought,” Dante whispers. “Here comes the  _ emotional climax _ or whatever the fuck it’s called.”

Marco just nods again, focusing intently on the screen to try and keep himself occupied.

On the screen, the woman runs down a sidewalk in the rain, chasing after the man. She calls his name, and just as he turns around, she trips on a crack in the sidewalk and tips forward, flailing her arms out in an attempt to catch herself. 

The man moves forward and catches her in his arms before she can hit the ground. The music swells in the background as the two look at each other, and then the woman leans upward to press her lips against his.

And Marco feels paralyzed as he watches, because this is clearly-- _ clearly! _ \--framed as romantic. This is the only kiss he’s seen in this movie, and there’s no denying that the actors  _ kissed _ , not as a  _ greeting, _ but because their characters are  _ courting. _

Dante’s kissed him before. 

Dante’s kissed him every day since he came to Earth. 

He  _ must _ be reading into this too much. He  _ must _ be, right? Kisses can’t  _ all _ be romantic. He’s definitely read things about kisses being a greeting, and surely that’s the way Dante means them, right? 

After all, his first night on Earth, when he’d waited for Dante on the front porch of his apartment, Dante had kissed him and told him  _ “welcome.” _ That was certainly a greeting. 

But... all the kisses  _ since _ then? 

Nothing makes sense, and Marco finds it increasingly difficult to keep his thoughts to himself until the last few minutes of the movie.

\-----

Marco’s strangely quiet as they leave the movie theater, Dante notices. He’s not sure if it’s because he found the movie enthralling, or if he simply has too many questions to be able to focus right now. 

Whatever the reason, it’s strange.

When they get out to the sidewalk, Dante slips his arm through Marco’s, and can’t help but feel him tense up. “Hey,” he asks, looking up at him. “You okay?”

Marco glances down at him, and his face looks tighter than usual. Dante has no idea  _ why, _ though. 

“Was the movie not your speed?” Dante asks as they head down the road toward home. “Yeah, I’m not really into romcoms, either. I like thrillers an’ mysteries an’ things with lotsa explosions. Lola mentioned this movie though and thought it’d be a good one for a date, so--”

“You keep using that word,” Marco interrupts, his head hanging down. “Why? I don’t--you keep saying ‘date,’ but I don’t understand why.”

“Uh,” Dante says, feeling thoroughly confused. “Because this was a date?” Had he not been clear about that? He’s pretty sure he’d said it was. “Oh, is your translator messin’ up again? We should get you a dictionary or somethin’.”

“No,” he says. “No, it--my translator’s fine. I just don’t understand--” he pauses, rolling his shoulders slightly. “...Was that movie representative of a romantic relationship?”

“What?” Dante blinks. “Uh... I mean, I guess? It’s usually not so, like, complicated or whatever. But I mean, it’s called a  _ romantic comedy _ for a reason. Why?”

“Do people usually touch hands and arms and look at each other and  _ kiss _ only when they’re in a romantic relationship?”

“Yeah.” Dante feels absolutely fucking  _ baffled _ now. “Wait, why? You been kissin’ other boys, Marco?” he says it jokingly, hoping to lighten the mood.

“No,” Marco says hurriedly. “No, you--I haven’t kissed anyone.  _ You’re _ the one who always kisses  _ me, _ and I don’t understand  _ why.” _ Marco sounds seriously upset.

“Uh,” says Dante, trying to come up with the clearest, most concise way to say this, “because we’re boyfriends?”

There’s a pause, and then Marco freezes in place. “What?” he asks after a moment, looking down at Dante with wide eyes. “We’re--we’re  _ what?” _

“Boyfriends?” Dante’s starting to get a really bad feeling about this. Carefully, he extracts his arm from Marco’s and moves to stand in front of him. “We’re in a romantic relationship. ...Right?”

Marco’s eyes widen even further. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. Dante can feel his face heating up with embarrassment. God, has Dante just been fucking  _ assuming _ shit this whole time? 

“But,” Marco says, “but-- but you never reciprocated!”

“What? What the hell are you talking about, reciprocated  _ what?” _ Dante can feel eyes on him, knows there are people watching them, but he can’t really bring himself to care. “Marco, what are you  _ talking _ about?”

“The  _ forehead presses,” _ Marco hisses under his breath. “I was trying to court you, but you have never reciprocated the forehead presses, so I thought you may have needed more time, but--”

“Oh my god,” Dante says, still confused but feeling just the tiniest bit more knowledgeable. “Oh my god, wait,  _ that’s _ what that was?  _ That’s _ why you kept touching your forehead to mine?”

“Yes!” Marco covers his face with his hands. “I thought you knew.”

“Why the hell would I know that?!” Dante lowers his voice a little so as not to draw too much more attention. “Marco, humans don’t exactly go around touching their foreheads to ask each other out on  _ dates!” _

“Well,  _ my _ people do not touch each other’s  _ lips _ to ask to court them!”

Dante stares at him. Marco stares back. Marco looks about as freaked out as Dante feels, which is... not great.

He takes a deep breath to try and calm himself down. “Okay,” he says. “Okay, let’s get home and, uh, figure this out.”

Marco nods.

\-----

The walk back to the apartment isn’t as awkward as it probably should be, all things considered. They don’t hold hands or link arms, instead walking with a few inches between them, but Dante thinks that--for him at least--it’s not because they don’t want to, it’s just because they aren’t so sure they  _ should. _

Marco pushes the door open, because whenever Dante does, the door sticks, and Dante doesn’t feel like dealing with that right now.

They sit down on opposite ends of the couch and stare at each other. Neither of them move for a long minute. 

And then Marco leans forward, just a little, and asks, “So, you  _ do _ want me to court you?”

Dante nods vigorously without quite realizing it. “Well, I mean,” he backtracks a bit. “I don’t really know what  _ ‘courting’ _ means with you. Like, if our ideas of dates and affection are so different then what  _ else _ is different?”

Marco leans away again, looking down at his hand resting on his leg. “I suppose that is true,” he says. “I do not understand much of Earth’s culture and concepts, despite living here for several weeks and having access to the internet. I cannot expect  _ you _ to understand  _ my _ culture when you have never been to my planet, and when…” he sighs, glancing up at Dante again, “when I have neglected to tell you much about my home or customs. I am sorry. This is my fault.”

Not what Dante was expecting to hear. He blinks, and frowns, and then reaches over to put his hand on Marco’s knee. “Not your fault,” he says, but he can’t really bring himself to meet Marco’s eyes. “I--I mean, it was probably pretty shitty of me to, like... assume.”

Marco’s quiet for a moment, and then he asks, “Why  _ did _ you assume that we were in a relationship?”

Dante pulls his hand back and runs it up and down the front of his shirt, palm pressed flat against his chest. “I dunno,” he says. “I just--I mean, when you came to Earth, and I saw you, and I kissed you, you didn’t, like... protest or whatever. And you didn’t protest any of the other times, either, so I just kinda figured we were on the same page.” He sighs. “I shoulda known we weren’t when I realized you never, like... initiated any’a that stuff yourself.”

“If I had realized,” Marco says, and puts his hand on Dante’s knee, “then I would have. I just--I did not know what it  _ meant.” _

Dante fiddles with the hem of his shirt, and then, steeling himself, tentatively puts his own hand on Marco’s. “I’m not good at, like, talking,” he begins. Marco snorts, cutting him off.

“You talk all the time,” he says, and Dante looks up sharply, mouth opening to protest, but Marco continues, “You talk for your podcast, telling people all about the things you’ve learned in a way that’s easy for them to understand. You talk all the time to me, explaining things or just talking about things you like. It is something that I like about you. How much you talk, how much you enjoy things.”

“Oh.” Dante bites his lip, taking in the warmth in Marco’s eyes, the little upward tick of his lips. “I--I mean, good to know. But I mean... I’m not good at talkin’ about, like...  _ emotional _ stuff.”

“Oh.” Marco tilts his head slightly, then flicks his fingers in a way that Dante hasn’t really seen before. “Well, that is okay. You... well, now that I  _ know _ what those things mean, I can tell that you show what you are feeling. You do not have to say it.” He pauses. “Well, no, you  _ do _ have to say it, at least the first time you do something, because I don’t think I will quite understand it otherwise.”

Dante lets out a little laugh, feeling almost breathless. “Okay,” he says, feeling a little lighter. “I guess that makes sense. So, uh.” He takes a deep breath, straightens up. He shifts his hand on Marco’s and intertwines their fingers. “So. D’you wanna be my boyfriend?”

Marco’s smile widens almost imperceptibly. “Yes,” he says, squeezing Dante’s fingers. “Should I give you a kiss to make the relationship official?”

Dante laughs again, heart thudding in his chest. “I mean, you don’t  _ have _ to,” he says. “But if you want to…” He leans in, probably too eagerly.

Marco huffs out a little laugh, leaning in to carefully cup Dante’s chin. He presses his lips gently against Dante’s, no more intense than anything Dante’s given to him, but the fact that it’s the first time  _ Marco _ has kissed  _ him _ makes it... well,  _ so much better _ .

It’s a quick kiss, and then they’re both pulling back, smiling at each other. “Okay,” says Dante. “That was pretty fuckin’ nice. Should I, like, press my forehead against yours, then?”

“Yes,” Marco says, eyes lighting up. He bends his neck, leaning toward him again. “Yes, please.”

And Dante does so, reaching up to grab the sides of Marco’s face and pull him closer. He presses their foreheads together, about as firmly as Marco had kissed him. Dante hadn’t been expecting it to actually  _ do _ anything for him, but he has to admit, just being close to Marco like this is... very nice.

Again, they pull back after just a moment, but it’s good. It’s nice. Dante grins at Marco, takes his hand again. “We okay now?” he asks.

Marco smiles at him. “We’re perfect.”

\-----

It turns out that  _ actually _ dating Marco is way better than just  _ thinking _ he’s dating Marco. Marco initiates  _ way more _ of the touches now, a hand pressed against the small of his back, an arm wrapped around his shoulders. Whereas before Dante had thought Marco to be a little touch-averse, he's now discovered that Marco simply hadn’t thought he was  _ allowed _ to touch.

And, now that Dante knows what the forehead-presses  _ mean _ to Marco, they’re so much nicer, too. Marco bending down to touch his forehead to Dante’s is a statement of trust and caring. It’s his people’s version of a kiss.

And as Dante makes all these discoveries, about Marco, about  _ alien culture, _ he’s a little upset that he can’t share his findings with the world via his podcast, but only a  _ little. _ He finds that he’s really not too concerned about it, actually kind of...  _ enjoying _ keeping these secrets to himself. They’re things only he and Marco know.

Well, and Lola. Dante can’t keep much of anything from his best friend.

“Dante!” Lola scolds on the phone a few nights after The Talk. “I thought you said he was  _ already _ your boyfriend!”

“I thought he was,” Dante apologizes. “Turns out there’s a lot about aliens I don’t know.”  
“I never thought I’d hear you say something like _that!”_ she says with a laugh. “You’ve always said you were an expert!”

“I’m as close to an expert as anyone else on this planet can claim to be!” Dante says defensively. “And if nothin’ else, I’m at  _ least _ a Marco expert.”

“Okay, well, I  _ guess _ that’s fair. But I think you’ve still got a lot to learn!”

“Yeah.” Dante smiles, even though he knows she can’t see it. “I do.”

“So when are you gonna bring him by so I can meet him?!”

“Soon, Lola, soon! I promise!”

Lola huffs in his ear. “You better,” she demands. “Or I’m seriously gonna come over and drag you both outta your apartment myself!”

“I know you will, Lola.”

\-----

Marco’s discovered that courting Dante isn’t really anything like courting anyone else he’s ever courted.

Not that Marco’s ever really  _ met _ anyone like Dante before. The whole reason Marco had left his position on the ship was so that he could be with Dante, and he wouldn’t do that for just anyone. 

No, Marco finds Dante’s passion and humor--though he’s still trying to wrap his head around that part--intriguing. He loves the way Dante just seems to light up when he talks about something he’s interested in, how he can ramble on for  _ hours _ and still keep coming up with new things to say.

And it isn’t as though Marco’s never met passionate people before--he’s a  _ scientist, _ after all, and no one goes into the sciences if they aren’t passionate about it--but the way Dante’s passion shines through is just so  _ different _ from anyone else he’s ever met that he can’t help but be drawn to it.

And, since coming to Earth, he’s found Dante to be not only passionate, but driven, and patient, and kind, despite his rough mannerisms and joking ways (two more things which really don’t make Marco like him any less).

It doesn’t hurt that Marco finds Dante attractive, either. 

Marco had never really thought that he’d be attracted to humans--to any species other than his own, honestly, though he’s never  _ discounted _ the possibility--because they’re just so  _ different _ from his own species, but... he likes Dante. Likes how he looks.

He’s so  _ small, _ even for a human, but especially in comparison to Marco. Well, in comparison to Marco’s true form, which he hasn’t been able to take since arriving here. His small stature is  _ alluring, _ and everything else about him--the shape of his nose, the color of his eyes, the wildness of his hair,  _ everything _ about him--is just...wonderful. Cute. Attractive.

Sometimes, when Marco’s sitting on the couch or laying on the bed, Dante comes up and kisses his forehead. Nothing makes Marco feel better, feel more loved. Knowing what kisses mean to Dante, and knowing that  _ Dante _ knows what forehead presses mean to  _ him, _ just...makes the forehead kisses so  _ wonderful. _ Like they’re a combination of both of their cultures’ loves.

Dante just makes him feel so  _ happy. _

**Author's Note:**

> i love this au so much!! i have lots of ideas for future one shots, so they'll be showing up again for sure 💖
> 
> thank you so much for reading!! if you enjoyed it, please feel free to leave kudos or a comment. i'd love to hear your thoughts!!  
come visit me on tumblr too, @enby-partypoison! i'm hosting a danger days holiday gift exchange with a few friends, and sign-ups will be starting on the 31st!


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